Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

There are some people who think that anything south of 5th Street is Antartica (or Dundas). That’s one of the reasons that the NDDC tried, unsuccessfully, to get stop signs installed at 7th Street. The building and business owners thought that increasing the pedestrian friendliness from 5th Street to 8th Street (or Woodley) would add vitality to south Division.

For many people however, it’s an area with great potential. In recent years a number of businesses south of 5th have made substantial investments in their buildings. Now NDDC Board Member Joe Grundhoefer and his wife Jodi are putting some icing on the cake.

J. Grundy’s Rueb-N-Stein is getting a fresh coat of paint. The 1868 Scofield Building (constructed by Dr. John Scofield) features the year “1878″ on its pediment that was added after a fire. The Rueb’s building occupies the former site of the Jenkins Tavern (1856), the city’s first hotel and gathering place.

Swing by to check out the painters’ progress, stop in for some food and beverages, and say “Hey” to Joe and Jodi.

In Friday’s StarTribune, there was an editorial that caught my attention. It was called “Downtown code sets higher expectations”.

The editorial references a series that the paper had published on downtown “liveability” crimes. Apparently, downtown Minneapolis has a far lower number of serious crimes than elsewhere in the city but the area doesn’t feel safe because of the incidence of behaviors like loitering, panhandling, cursing, littering and graffiti.

I referenced an article in the Strib series in my blog entry on westside vadalism. A highlight of the piece, at least in my opinion, was the call to “demand higher standards of public behavior”.

That’s exactly what the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association has done. The group has issued a code of “expectations”. The list includes such radical ideas as “obey the law; be respectful of others; keep storefronts and sidewalks clean; report offensive behavior; and help build a “pedestrian friendly” atmosphere”.

Northfield is following Minneapolis’ example of encouraging people to live downtown, closer to a variety of jobs, cultural amenities and recreational opportunities. Perhaps we should also follow the example of the neighborhood association and demand a higher standard of public behavior in Downtown Northfield.

…and maybe the next expert with whom we should consult is the woman pictured above…

The effects of yesterday’s storm linger on. With the NDDC office phone and internet service down, I’m glad that Goodbye Blue Monday can provide me with a link to the outside world and I can keep working.

Word is spreading fast and more and more workers are showing up with their laptops so that they can keep the information flowing in both directions…

…with the necessary infrastructure in place for maximum productivity (internet, coffee, food, goods, services and a highly skilled human network), all available in a walkable, authentic, historic, vibrant, commercial district…

…in Downtown Northfield.

Well, this type of behavior might contribute to getting Northfield recognized as an Art Town, but it certainly doesn’t set an example for responsible bike riding.

As I recently reported, there is a “renewed” effort at making Northfield a Bike Friendly City once again. After the meeting, I picked up a handy little wallet card with safety tips for bicyclists that I thought I’d share here:

1. Bicyclists may ride on all Minnesota roads, except where restricted.
2. Bicyclist should ride on the road, and must ride in the same direction as traffic. It’s illegal to ride facing traffic.
3. Motorists must maintain a three-foot clearance when passing a bicyclist.
4. Bicyclists must obey all traffic control signs and signals, just as motorists.
5. Motorists and bicyclists must yield the righ-of-way to each other.
6. Bicyclists must signal their turns and should ride in a predictable manner.
7. Lights and reflectors are required at night.
8. Bicyclists should always wear helmets.

As Eric Johnson pointed out at the NDDC’s Bike Friendly Forum, bicyclists and motorists both have a responsibility for knowing and following the laws of traffic safety.

That was the subtitle of the movie “Downside Up” and the most powerful, and unexpected, message, at least for me, in the film.

About three dozen folks turned out to watch the film and about two-thirds of them hung around until the very end, almost three hours later, of the discussion of the film, ArtsPlan06 and arts and economic development in our community, for the latest NDDC Third Thursday Series presentation, at the Grand, in downtown Northfield.

The film showed the people of North Adams, Massachusetts, over a two to three year period, change from perceiving their town as an economic loser and widely acknowledged tourist repeller to seeing their town as an widely recognized exhibitor of cutting edge art and an attractor of cutting edge jobs.
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